Our  Canaries 
171 
To  test  the  eggs  one  needs  a  small  piece  of  black  or  blackened,  cardboard 
with  a  hole  cut  out  in  the  centre  slightly  smaller  than  the  outline  of  a  Canary's 
egg.  Then,  by  holding  this  before  a  strong  light,  and  the  egg  in  front  of  the 
hole  and  close  up  to  it,  the  egg  will,  if  fertile,  appear  dark  and  opaque ;  if  it  is 
an  unfertile  one,  it  will  appear  quite  clear  and  transparent,  the  yolk  being  seen 
clearly  as  a  slightly  duskier  patch  moving  around  as  the  egg  is  turned,  always 
floating  to  the  top. 
Later  on,  when  the  eggs  are  near  hatching,  they  may  be  placed  in  a  cup 
of  warm  water  standing  on  a  firm  and  steady  table.  Bring  the  eggs  gently  to 
a  standstill  with  the  tip  of  the  finger,  and  then  watch  for  a  minute  or  so.  The 
presence  of  live  chicks  in  any  of  them  will  be  very  soon  apparent  by  the 
uncanny  movements  of  the  eggs,  which  will  begin  to  quiver  and  "  bob  "  about 
quite  distinctly  from  time  to  time  as  the  chicks  within  them  make  any  effort 
at  moving,  even  if  ever  so  slightly. 
One  word  of  caution  may  be  given  here :  never  lose  hope  of  a  clutch  of 
eggs,  which  are  supposed  to  be  chilled  or  spoiled  from  any  other  cause  than 
irremediable  fracture.  However  unfavourable  the  outlook  may  be,  make  it  a 
point  to  let  every  egg  remain  under  the  hen  for  its  full  time,  and  many  surprises 
will  be  found  in  store  for  the  owner.  It  is  wonderful  what  an  amount  of  vitality 
is  in  the  chicks  at  a  certain  time,  and  eggs,  which  were  believed  to  be  quite 
beyond  the  pale  of  possible  fruition,  will  again  and  again  be  found  to  hatch 
out  strong  and  robust  chicks. 
